Kid Rock comes to White House as Trump signs royalty bill

President Donald Trump looks on as musician Kid Rock speaks during a signing ceremony for the "Orrin G. Hatch-Bob Goodlatte Music Modernization Act," in the Oval Office of the White House, Thursday, Oct. 11, 2018, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump is welcoming musicians including Kid Rock and country star John Rich to the White House as he signs legislation overhauling the way music is licensed and songwriters compensated.

Trump signed the Orrin B. Hatch Music Modernization Act on Thursday. The bill won wide bipartisan support in the House and Senate and is backed by the music industry. It's named after the retiring Utah senator, who is also a musician.

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Also joining the president were Mike Love of the Beach Boys, singer Sam Moore and the Christian group MercyMe.

The legislation creates a new independent entity that will license songs to companies that play music online.

The non-profit collective will then pay songwriters, including those who wrote pre-1970s classics before music copyrights protected their work.